fearless
by mellieforyellie
Summary: As her life changes, so does her fairytale. — naruhina
1. ours

**disclaimer:**** i don't own.  
><strong>**dedication:**** the tayswift **_**speak now**_** album. all the chapters are named after songs from there.  
><strong>**notes1:**** blame reeta. yeah.  
><strong>**notes2:**** the fairytale things are going to be reoccurring. trust me.  
><strong>**note3:**** EDITED, changed Hinata's initial age to work with her and Hanabi's age difference. sorry for confusion.  
><strong>**summary:**** Hinata has grown up listening to fairytales, and can't help but realize that her life reflects her favorite one.  
><strong>**pairing:**** naruhina. **

chapter o1:  
><span>_**ours.**_

_When I was young, I loved fairytales. I can remember begging my mother to tell me my favorite one, over and over and over. She would laugh, her voice light and whimsical like wind chimes, tuck me in, and begin._

"_Once upon a time, there was a magical forest. It was only in this forest where magical creatures, like dragons and fairies could live and grow. But one day, one of the dragons realized that they could leave the forest, for just a little bit, and still be able to live. However, once they did they couldn't leave again for another ten years, or else they would instantly die._

"_With this knowledge, he flew over to a nearby kingdom, and stole their prized princess. She was pretty, with flowing black hair and flawless, porcelain skin, but she was still only a girl of eight. So he told the princess, 'You are very beautiful, did you know that?' _

"'_Yes,' she told him, 'there are many men who wish to have my hand in marriage.' The dragon decided that he would keep her here, hidden in the forest and be her guard, so that only a man who truly loved her would be able to come and rescue her. She agreed, because while she had never mentioned it to anyone, all she ever wanted was for a handsome, brave prince to come and whisk her away._

"_Once the king of the kingdom had found out she was kidnapped, he declared that the man to rescue her would be granted her hand in marriage. However, if she was able to return on her own, she was to be married off to whoever the kind found most suitable._

"_Years passed, and only a few men had come to rescue her, but were always struck easily down by the dragon. If they weren't killed, they ran away at the sight of the dragon. By now, she had grown into a strong, beautiful young woman that had matured very nicely. She broke down to the dragon, who had become her friend. 'What ever will I do, dragon?' she sobbed, hugging his scaly muzzle. 'I fear I will die here, in this forest…'_

"'_Don't worry,' the dragon reassured her. 'Once you become eighteen, I will fly you back into your kingdom.' Little did she know, he had only waited so long because otherwise he would die the moment he exited the forest. Nonetheless, she agreed, because her birthday was in only one more year._

"_The year went by quickly, until it was finally the day before her eighteenth birthday. She was sitting with her feet in the creek she had grown up by, when she heard the sound of an approaching soldier. Immediately, she fled to the cave that served as her home, and warned the dragon. _

"_When the soldier finally found the cave, he asked the dragon, 'Are you the dragon that guards the princess?'_

"'_Yes,' the dragon responded, 'and if you wish to rescue her, you must kill me.' The man nodded, pulled out his sword and began to fight the dragon. As he fought, the princess realized that this man was wearing the armor of the High Knight, the best soldier in the kingdom. She knew that this was definitely not the man who was the High Knight back when she was still in the kingdom. _

"_When the knight was about to kill the dragon, she ran out, and asked him to let her have her last words with the dragon. He nodded, stepped aside, and let them have their privacy._

"'_Oh, dragon, I don't know how I can thank you enough,' she told him. _

"_He said, 'Just live your life with the one you love, as I intended for you to do.' With that, he took his final breath, and closed his eyes. _

"'_Please tell me the name of the man who has saved me,' the princess requested to the knight, curtseying. _

"'_My name is Takeshi,' he told her, bowing very low. 'If you remember, I used to be one of your kitchen servants.' She gasped, indeed remembering the little boy who used to bring her meals to her. Takeshi had grown into a handsome young man, to the point where she was almost blinded by his beauty. He smiled at her, and kissed her hand. 'I am so sorry I took so long, but it's harder than you think rising up to the High Knight.'_

"_She had fallen in love with the once-servant, for his dedication of love even through all these years. When they returned to the kingdom, the king ordered them to be married, just as the promise ten years ago requested. And they all lived happily ever after."_

"_Momma," I would tell her, "I wanna marry someone who truly loves me like that someday, too." _

_And she would smile this sad, hopeful smile at me, almost like she knew something I didn't. "I want you to, too, sweetie. I hope you get to." And she would kiss my forehead, blow out the candle, and leave the room for me to sleep._

_It would take many years before I ever knew what she meant._

I decided who I wanted to marry when I was four. I remember the day so clearly, because it was always in mind. It was my first day at the Academy, and I can remember my mother walking along behind me, her belly lightly swollen with my little sister. _Only seven more months to go,_ she would tell me with a smile. The days back when my father wasn't cold, struck by the loss of my mother. He attended the entrance ceremony, watching me with pride, something I would not see for many years to come.

At first, I was really nervous to be there. I had never really been outside the compound, and even if I was, there was always someone with me. I was one of the quieter girls sitting there, while all the other girls flocked together and giggled at the boys. They all generally ignored me, and while I felt a little left out, my father's incentives ran through my head, too young to understand. _You're a Hyuuga, and you are far superior than them. You don't need them_. I blindly agreed.

I was the only girl the boys wouldn't have a problem sitting next to me. In fact, on the days when the boys had to pair with a girl, they would ask to be paired with me. I didn't obsess over boys, I hated the flower-collecting classes we had (though I liked grinding them into medicines), and I didn't understand the attraction to Sasuke.

But one day, Naruto wandered into the class. At first, all the teachers frowned at him, and taught him everything incorrectly. I noticed this, of course, but didn't really think about telling anybody. What could I do? I was just a little kid. No one would listen to me. One day, we had a quiz. Just a short one, on a little math and trajectory paths — general things we had quizzes on a lot. I passed easily, of course. Naruto, however, didn't.

Instead on laying the quiz face-down on the students desk like they had for every other student, they slapped his face-up, and calling out through the class, "Naruto, an _F._"

Everyone laughed at him. I didn't. I felt bad for him, because I knew that he had been taught everything wrong from the moment he had been brought in here. But he didn't get sad, he didn't get all mopey or depressed. No, he stood up on his desk, put his hands on his hips, and yelled, "You can all laugh now, but one day, I'll surpass all of you! Believe it!"

That was the moment I fell in love. Right there. Of course, I didn't realize it was love at the time. Then, it was simple adoration. He was my idol, from then on out. To have so much strength, even though it's you against the world? His hope and spirit made me believe him.

Sometimes I laugh, remembering this one day. We were in boy/girl pairings, just sparring each other. It was back when I was five, nearing the end of my first year at the Academy. The teachers had picked our partners, based on our class rank. One with two, and so on. As it happened, I was paired with Sasuke, to every other girls envy. I actually felt scared looking at their jealous glares peeling into my back.

"You know," he said, "I really hope you're a competent opponent."

"I will try my best, Sasuke-san," I told him, bowing as it was customary in my clan to do so before a spar. He didn't, but I really didn't expect him to.

Our spar was light, but I could see him struggle with my chakra attacks. At the time, I was ahead in my Jyuuken training than any other of the children of age in the Compound, which was how it should be. I was the heiress, after all. I should always be ahead. Eventually, though, he gritted his teeth, took the hit, and flipped me over. Which was also to be expected — he was not only the Uchiha protégé, but also the first in the class. I didn't mind, really. After all, he looked a little affected by the hit to his arm.

He sat down beside me after our spar, and I was a little surprised. Usually, he would sit at the end of the field with his partner until we were all called back in. He noticed this, and explained.

"You're the only girl here that doesn't try to grope me constantly," he said, his voice not necessarily cold, but not really flowing with the fountain of emotion either. "I was actually a little thankful I got put with you."

"I'm going to be a kunoichi," I told him, quoting my father. "I'm not going to go chasing after boys. It's not what I'm supposed to do at this age."

"That's a good philosophy to live by," he said, surprised.

I smiled. "It's what I've been taught all my life."

"Your mom's never even told you girly fairytales or anything?" I was surprised at the mention of family. With everyone else, he got insidiously gloomy every time the subject was ever even mentioned.

"Well, yes, of course she did," I said, remembering _my_ fairytales. "And I love all of them. But there's a time for romance, and it's not now." I noticed him clenching and unclenching his hand. "Oh, want me to fix that?"

He nodded, and I began unblocking the tenketsu. "You don't have anybody you like, even? That's someone that all the girl's have."

I smiled. "I have someone I admire, I suppose."

"Who?"

"Naruto-san."

He chortled at this. "Naruto? That dumbass?"

That was when I got angry. I furrowed my eyebrows, and stopped fixing his arms. "You have no right to say anything, Sasuke-san."

"Oh? I don't?"

"No," I told him, my voice beginning to raise in volume. "You may have natural skills due to your heritage, as I do, but him? He's the one with real determination. He trains his hardest, he works his hardest, even though the teachers teach him the wrong things, he still shows how much he wants this! He has pride in himself, in his hard work, which is something you'll never have!"

I stood up, brushed off my pants, and stalked off then.

Later, when I was thinking about it, was when I realized that maybe, just _maybe_, I did like him. And then my face flooded red, because oh my Kami, _I did._

Of course, the next day, it was revealed to me that Naruto had heard me stand up for him. He approached me after class, when we were waiting for our parents to come pick us up (we were still too young to walk home ourselves, in the Academy's eyes). Due to my recent realization, my cheeks dusted pink at him being so close.

"Hey, I wanted to say thanks," he told me.

I blinked. "Uhm, what for, Naruto-san?"

"For reassuring me that I'm not the only one that believes in myself." And he grinned at me, that slow, foxy smile and then I could tell that I was in over my head. _Completely_ in over my head.

But I just smiled at him. "Everybody should have a positive voice from somewhere, Naruto-san."

We ended up talking for a while, actually. We were in the back of the class, and nobody realized we were even talking. For some reason, my father was taking extra long that day, and we ended up being some of the last students there.

"Hey, Hinata?" he said, looking up at me.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?" (At this point, he had requested I call him that.)

"What…What are your parents like?" he asked, a sad, far-off look in his eyes.

I could only do what he requested. "Well, there's my Kaa-chan. She's really pretty. She hugs me all the time, and sometimes she lets me dress up like a geisha and we go around the compound and giggle with each other." I smiled at the memory. "She used to pick me up and throw me and catch me."

"Used to?"

"Oh, she's having another baby. My little sister," I added with a giggle.

"How do you know it's gonna be a girl?"

"'Cuz I wished for a girl," I told him. "And Kaa-chan told me she did too, even though Tou-chan wants a boy."

He laughed. "Why does your Otou want a boy?"

I crossed my arms, huffing. "For an heir. Right now, I'm the heiress. But if it's a boy, he _takes_ it. If it's a girl, I get to _give_ it to her."

He blinked. "Why would ya wanna give it away?"

I smiled. "Because if she wants it, then she deserves it."

"Why don't you want it?"

"Well—"

Right then, my father entered the room. The look on his face was cold and harsh, and it would take me years before I ever understood why he changed so drastically. He saw me sitting there, talking with Naruto, walked over and practically ripped me out of my chair. I kicked and screamed, telling him to _let go of me_, that he _was hurting me_, _Tou-chan_.

And he looked at me with the coldest, most unfeeling gaze I've ever seen, and told me, "It's Otou-sama, Hinata."

Later, I found out that my mother had died giving birth to Hanabi, the little girl we had wished for. I cried when I held her for the first time, and she looked at me with those innocent little gray eyes, and grabbed onto my hair.

From then on I decided that I would act as motherly to Hanabi as I could, because she could never know our mother. I was her big sister, and this was what big sisters should do.

From then on, my father also decided that I was not to ever associate myself with Naruto if I could help it. He called him "the Kyuubi boy" and "disgusting demon" and a bunch of other things I don't want to remember. I remember thinking he was just like the teachers, and it disgusted me.

Because I finally found the person I loved, and I couldn't even talk to them anymore.


	2. live long

**disclaimer:**** don't own.  
><strong>**dedication:**** still TaySwift.  
><strong>**notes1:**** this took a while. finished it while in new york, like a boss.  
><strong>**notes2:**** …sorry this took so long. busy summer is busy.  
><strong>**summary:**** Hinata has grown up listening to fairytales, and can't help but realize that her life reflects her favorite one.  
><strong>**pairing:**** naruhina. **

chapter 2:  
><em><strong>long live.<strong>_

_Ever since she was born, I tried to do everything for Hanabi that I knew our mother would have done. I changed her, sometimes, despite the nurses' protests, I would put her to sleep, I would feed her, even though I was still a child myself. _

_But now, it still weirds me out to call her "our mother". _

"_I'm going to tell you a bedtime story," I announced to her one day. She was already ten, already beginning to grow into a young woman. I already had. I had developed with what a lot of the girls would call the gift of a curvy figure. I hated it. I felt so uncomfortable in my own body, I wore baggy jackets all the time, terrified to show what I really possessed. She wasn't, though. I could tell she would always be perfectly proportionate. _

"_Is this really necessary?" she had asked, looking at me, deadpanned. "I mean, I know you're kind of trying to make up for Okaa-san and all that, but I'm _ten_ and I _really don't need to hear this…_"_

_I smiled at her. "Yes, it is. Now be quiet and let me tell the story. It's a fairytale."_

_I decided to tell her my favorite, the one my mother always used to tell me. However, since I knew she really wasn't a fairytale kind of girl (maybe it was the absence of our mother that had made her grow up stronger than me) I decided to tweak it into reality. _

"_Once upon a time," I had started, just like my mother used to, "there was a magical forest. It was only in this forest where magical creatures, like dragons and fairies could live and grow. But one day, one of the dragons realized that they could leave the forest, for just a little bit, and still be able to live. However, once they did they couldn't leave again for another ten years, or else they would instantly die._

"_With this knowledge, he flew over to a nearby kingdom, and stole their prized princess. She was pretty, with flowing black hair and flawless, porcelain skin, but she was still only a girl of eight. So he told the princess, 'You are very beautiful, did you know that?'_

"'_Yes,' she told him, 'there are many men who wish to have my hand in marriage.' The dragon decided that he would keep her here, hidden in the forest and be her guard, so that only a man who truly loved her would be able to come and rescue her. She agreed, because while she had never mentioned it to anyone, all she ever wanted was for a handsome, brave prince to come and whisk her away._

"_Once the king of the kingdom had found out she was kidnapped, he declared that the man to rescue her would be granted her hand in marriage. However, if she was able to return on her own, she was to be married off to whoever the kind found most suitable._

"_Years passed, and only a few men had come to rescue her, but were always struck easily down by the dragon. If they weren't killed, they ran away at the sight of the dragon. By now, she had grown into a strong, beautiful young woman that had matured very nicely. She broke down to the dragon, who had become her friend. 'What ever will I do, dragon?' she sobbed, hugging his scaly muzzle. 'I fear I will die here, in this forest…'_

"'_Don't worry,' the dragon reassured her. 'Once you become eighteen, I will fly you back into your kingdom.' Little did she know, he had only waited so long because otherwise he would die the moment he exited the forest. Nonetheless, she agreed, because her birthday was in only one more year._

"_The year went by quickly, until it was finally the day before her eighteenth birthday. She was sitting with her feet in the creek she had grown up by, when she heard the sound of an approaching soldier. Immediately, she fled to the cave that served as her home, and warned the dragon. _

"_When the soldier finally found the cave, he asked the dragon, 'Are you the dragon that guards the princess?'_

"'_Yes,' the dragon responded, 'and if you wish to rescue her, you must kill me.' The man nodded, pulled out his sword and began to fight the dragon. As he fought, the princess realized that this man was wearing the armor of the High Knight, the best soldier in the kingdom. She knew that this was definitely not the man who was the High Knight back when she was still in the kingdom. _

"_When the knight was about to kill the dragon, she ran out, and asked him to let her have her last words with the dragon. He nodded, stepped aside, and let them have their privacy._

"'_Oh, dragon, I don't know how I can thank you enough,' she told him. _

"_He said, 'Just live your life with the one you love, as I intended for you to do.' With that, he took his final breath, and closed his eyes. _

"'_Please tell me the name of the man who has saved me,' the princess requested to the knight, curtseying. _

"'_My name is Takeshi,' he told her, bowing very low. 'If you remember, I used to be one of your kitchen servants.' She gasped, indeed remembering the little boy who used to bring her meals to her. Takeshi had grown into a handsome young man, to the point where she was almost blinded by his beauty. He smiled at her, and kissed her hand. 'I am so sorry I took so long, but it's harder than you think rising up to the High Knight.'_

"_She had fallen in love with the once-servant, for his dedication of love even through all these years. When they returned to the kingdom, however, the king saw his heritage and broke the promise he had made ten years ago and did not allow for them to marry. She cried for three days straight, stuck up all alone in her room, wishing that Takeshi was still with her, wishing that they could be together._

"'_It's not fair!' she cried. 'He did all of that, just for me, and I still can't marry him!'_

"After a full week had gone by, her maids had forced her out of bed, blindfolded her, dressed her, and led her to the church. She didn't find anything wrong with this, of course, seeing as it was Sunday and it was usually a custom for them. But when they undid the blindfold, she saw she was in a wedding dress.

"'Yes!' she thought, thinking that her father had decided to let her marry Takeshi. But that was not who awaited her at the end of the aisle. No, instead it was a prince from a neighboring kingdom. She started to turn back against the aisle, until she saw the bridesmaids behind her, preventing her from turning back at all.

"_She married the prince, and eventually had many children, but she lived an unhappy life without Takeshi. The end."_

"_That wasn't a very upbeat fairytale, if you ask me," Hanabi had said. "What's the point if the guy doesn't get the girl anyway?"_

_And I looked at her, with the saddest look I think I had ever given, and said, "Because that's life, Hanabi. The guy doesn't always get the girl. Sometimes, the girl has to marry someone Otou-sama thinks is more acceptable."_

"_Like us, Onee-chan?" _

_I shook my head. "Not you, Hanabi. You probably get to marry whoever you want. I don't."_

"_Why not?" This was really the first time she had ever asked me questions. It made me feel pleased, almost. _

"_Because I'm the oldest," I said. "And I'm the heiress."_

"_That's not very fair."_

_I shrugged, turning off the bedside lamp. "Life's not fair, Hanabi. Now go to sleep. It's late."_

_As I was about to open the door, she said, "Who did you wanna marry?"_

_I turned around, looked at her, and shook my head. "Someone who could never be considered. Ever."_

"_Do you still want to?"_

_I smiled at her. "More with each moment I'm with him." And then I left, shutting her door behind me quietly. _

_She would never know that I cried that night. I cried for our mother, whose role I had sort of taken with Hanabi. I cried for the warm, kind father she would never know existed. I cried for the love I could never have. I cried for my broken heart, which I didn't think could ever, ever heal._

* * *

><p>I remember the day when everything changed. I remember when suddenly, even in my broken household, with my shattered heart, that the one thing I had left had been taken away from me.<p>

"Your sister has been taken captive by Cloud forces."

Those words that Tsunade-sama spoke to me that day would forever haunt me. I had frozen, so still, and even though every other time, I resisted crying in front of my comrades as much as I could, I collapsed that time. I fell to my knees, erupting into sobs, and Neji held me.

"Not Hanabi," I cried, over and over again. "Not her, too."

I think the only person that didn't understand was the one person who needed to, of course. Naruto never did understand. He never understood the immense red that took over my face whenever he was around, he never understood how whenever he cheered me on in a fight, I immediately became a better opponent. In reality, he really did understand, but he pushed it away. He thought that _I_ was the one who didn't like him. That _I_ was the one who didn't feel the same way. He pretended that all his ideas were false, because he didn't want to get hurt.

"Well, shit, obaa-chan!" Naruto yelled at her, and I remember feeling so shocked he would address her in such a way. "Don't we have alliances and stuff like that for a reason?"

"We never had an alliance with Cloud, Naruto," she calmly responded, though we could all tell he was getting on her last nerves. "And they've always been after the Hyuuga's for as long as we can remember. They've tried many times, and even though most of them fail, sometimes unfair things happen."

I remembered feeling Neji tense, because she was talking about his father, of course. The thing he had blamed me for so long, but eventually apologized for his actions. I had squeezed his chest hard, fisting his robe in my hands. He squeezed me back.

"But, how could they possibly get through the security?" I gasped out, finally able of semi-coherent talk. "I mean, ever since the attempt to grab me, our guards are always increased, especially around our bedrooms…"

"They used the opening between shift changes," Neji immediately began to explain. "There's a small, practically miniscule amount of time when the guards change. They must have used that, and put some sort of a bunshin that's almost identical in chakra look and feel."

"We had no idea Cloud was this advanced already," Tsunade had said, taking an exhausted sip of sake. "If we had known, we would have increased our security, or at least let the Hyuuga family know so they could be on the lookout…"

"But you didn't know!" Naruto yelled, and I jumped at the loud voice he emitted. My tears began to start again, the scare frightening me.

"And that's not my fucking fault, Naruto!" she screamed, her voice jumping two octaves, her hands thumping hard on the table, spilling her sake all over her documents. "Shit! See what you did?"

"I didn't do shit, Baa-chan!"

"Just like how it wasn't my fault either, you fucking stupid kid!"

"I'm not stupid, damnit! Shut the hell up!"

"Stop yelling, p-please…" I had sobbed out, my head still buried into Neji's neck. Immediately, I could see through my blurry vision that they had turned to me, and their voices stopped.

Naruto had squatted down next to me, had taken my hand, and whispered to me, "Sorry, Hinata-chan. I didn't mean to upset you…"

"Take her out of here," I heard Tsunade murmur. "She obviously can't handle this right now."

"But — Hanabi — "

"We'll fill you in later, right, obaa-chan?" Naruto said, turning to Tsunade. She nodded, and made a noise of agreement, and let Neji carry me back to the complex.

"Everything'll be okay, won't it, nii-san?"

I hadn't called him that in years. He looked surprised, and for the first time in the longest while, he smiled at me, something he wouldn't do for years to come.

"I don't know, nee-chan."

His words echoed in through my head for hours, my crying never ceasing, but always silent. I couldn't move. I felt immobile, struck terribly by the loss. It was worse than my mother, because then I was too little to understand, and even now, I had to really be thinking about to miss her desperately enough to begin crying. But with Hanabi, I knew she wasn't dead. I knew that they would do horrible, horrible experiments to her before they would ever kill her. And it was that much worse, because I knew that she could suffer so much pain.

Wasn't I her big sister? Wasn't I supposed to protect her from the horrors of this world? Wasn't I supposed to be her mother? I was supposed to hug her close, I was supposed to let her cry whenever she wanted to. I remembered how she did that a couple times when she was little, when our father was especially harsh to her. She would ask me, _Onee-chan, why is Papa so mean? Why doesn't he like it when I call him Papa?_

And I would pull her close, and cry silently, while I told her, _Because Tou-chan's cold, Nee-chan. Because Tou-chan is never ever gonna be the same again._

Somehow, I had drifted off to sleep. I awoke with the bright morning's glare in my eyes, and I grumpily remembered I had forgotten to close the curtains last night. I sniffled, feeling the crusty, dried tear-tracks on my face. I silently moved out of bed and next door, to Hanabi's room. I sniffled again, my eyes beginning to leak once more. I grabbed one of the pillows off her bed and hugged it close to me.

As I was walking back to my room, my father caught me. I clenched my eyes shut, before shakily, cautiously looking back up at him. He stared at me with cold, unfeeling eyes.

"Get a hold of yourself," he said, his voice sharp. "You're pathetic. It's so disappointing — I was going to make her heiress, since you're obviously incapable of it."

"Well," I said, my voice shaky but clear, "maybe I would be more capable if I had more encouragement from my own damn father."

He had slapped me, hard across the cheek. I had never cursed to him, or in general, really. And I definitely had never disrespected him before.

"Watch your mouth," he warned me, gripping me by the neck, hard.

"You can't make me hurt anymore than I already am, Otou-san," I whispered, feeling my feet begin to dangle off the floor. I clutched Hanabi's pillow harder, blinking the tears out of my eyes. He shoved me hard onto the floor, and told me two, final words.

"Get out."

And so I did. The guards looked concerned but did not question when I set off with a box full of possessions and Hanabi's one, single pillow. They knew that it was, no doubt, my father's doing and would not ever question him, for fear of punishment.

If I was the clan leader, I would want my family to follow me not out of fear, but out of respect and faith.

I didn't know where to go, who to turn to. I knew I had plenty of friends who would take me in, but I couldn't impose on them. They had helped me through so much, it was just…I couldn't add more to that.

Finally, I had wandered into one of the training areas. I sat down and leaned against the base of a tree, setting my box down next to me. I could hear the birds chirping and the cicada's buzzing, loud in my ear. I hugged Hanabi's pillow, and let the sounds drown out into nothingness.

* * *

><p>"…nata? Hinata? Hey, are you okay?"<p>

I jerked awake, and noticed that it was suddenly a lot later, the sun just diving into the ground to paint the sky with purple, pink, and orange. And Naruto stood over me, one hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, oh, I'm alright — I guess I just, ah, fell asleep…how stupid of me, right?" I laughed nervously, running a hand through my ratty hair.

"Shouldn't you be getting home?" he asked me, a concerned look on his face. "Your dad has a strict curfew, doesn't he?"

"Y-Yeah, he does," I started, willing my tears not to fall, "but I don't…ahm, I — I don't live there anymore, a-actually."

He blinked, astonished. "Your dad kicked you out? For real?"

"Yeah." A tear slid down my cheek before I could prevent it and I wiped it away quickly, though not very inconspicuous.

Then he held out his hand to me, and I took it. He helped me up and then picked up my box of things, heaving it up with a grunt. "Come on, Hinata-chan."

I blinked at him, but followed him nonetheless. "W-Where are we going, Naruto-kun?"

"To my place, of course."

I ran in front of him and stopped him in his tracks.

"Naruto! I…I can't let you do that, I mean…I couldn't ever repay you for something like this…"

He smiled, and kept walking onward. "You don't need to, silly. It's what friends do."

And so I let him lead me to his house. I let him set my box of things down in his apartment, next to his nicely watered plant. I let him make me a cup of ramen, nice and steamy. I let him turn on the shower for me, so that I could get all the tear stains off my face. I let him tuck me into bed, before getting in next to me. And I let him wrap his arms around my waist and hold me while I snuggled into him and cried.

When I woke up, I was alone, but I was slightly glad. I was so embarrassed, because even after all these years, I still adored Naruto. I still loved him with all my heart, and his actions last night made me wonder if he loved — or at least liked — me, too.

I had to keep telling myself not to get ahead of myself. He thought of practically everybody as a friend — even Sasuke, who had betrayed him and tried to kill him. I knew that he would do practically anything for his friends.

But I had wondered if he knew that I liked him, if he liked me back, or if this was just a friendly thing for him to do.

After laying there for a couple minutes, attempting to go back to sleep, I finally rolled out of bed. I still clutched Hanabi's pillow in my arms, wandering into the living room/kitchen area of his apartment, smelling the odor of…cinnamon?

"Hey, Hinata-chan," he said, smiling when he saw me, then gesturing a plate with a perfect, warm, _still steaming_ cinnamon roll on it. He grinned sheepishly. "I remembered these were your favorite, so I grabbed some…"

I had looked over at the food, then back up at him, and engulfed him in the biggest hug I had ever given someone. I buried my face in his neck, squeezing him as hard as I could. He wrapped his arms around me, too, resting his cheek on the top of my head. I savored the moments that we stayed there, just like that, and it had felt like a dream come true.

"Thank you," I whispered to him, finally pulling away to look at him.

He chuckled, lacing his fingers behind my back. "I already told you, Hinata, it's no problem—"

I shook my head. "Thank you for…for remembering."

"Oh," he whispered, staring into my eyes, and I could feel my face heating up, begging to whatever god existed, _Don't let him notice, don't let him notice_! "Well, you're welcome."

A couple years ago, we had been paired on a mission together — just us. It wasn't really a big deal, just an overnight mission, but we had been forced to stay up for an extended period of time until we got the signal to move out. At this time, we had been sitting high up in the trees, forced to hide. So, we had started to play twenty questions.

"_What's your favorite breakfast food_?"he had asked me, and I had no idea that he was secretly writing it all down in his head for later use.

I had smiled_. "Cinnamon rolls. I know they're bad for me, but…they remind me of my mother. She used to always get them for me on special days." _

And he had nodded, and we had continued with the game, but I had never known he would have remembered.

And as he stood there, just looking into each others eyes, I had that small, small, _miniscule_ hope that he would kiss me. He had blinked, licked his lips, then smiled at me.

"Come on, eat up," he said, pulling me to his chest once more for a quick hug — something that would become a normality — and then walking away, sliding his hands off of my hips slowly. "I have something special planned for you today."

Even with his distractions, mainly by just being _him_, I had eaten through three of the most delicious cinnamon rolls I had ever had. After I had gotten dressed, he took me to a training ground — one that I had never seen before.

It had a sparkling lake with a waterfall, and a large area of just grass, outlined by an orchard of beautiful, tall trees. It was the perfect place for me to train and practice whatever I needed to.

"Wow," I breathed, taking it all in. "This is amazing! I've never seen this before!"

He grinned. "The frogs helped me find it. I knew you needed the perfect training place."

I turned to him. "But…why?" I asked, gesturing to all of it. "Why are you doing all of this for me?"

He pursed his lips, and looked me straight in the eye. "Because you have someone that you love, and you deserve to be able to save her."

I had wanted to start crying. It was things like this, that _every time_ they made me admire him more, adore him more, love him more. He was one of the most selfless, most giving, most helpful people I had ever known, despite the terrible childhood he has had.

Instead, I had pushed the tears back and smiled up bravely at him.

"Let's get started, then."

* * *

><p>We had ended up training for years. Yes, we — he trained with me, helped me train, and trained me. I had lived at his apartment for this whole time, and while we hadn't started dating, we had eventually become best friends.<p>

In the beginning, I was still shy and afraid, mainly of my father. When he would pass by us in the village, I would duck my head, tense into Naruto, and he would protectively wrap his arm around my shoulder, no matter the ideas my father got. Later, when he had made me confident, when he had made me strong, I would see my father in the village. And as he passed by me, I would purposely stare at him, with the biggest smile on my face.

I had eventually been broken of my stuttering habit, of my blushing habit. I had thrown away my heavy jacket, and had taken to wearing much more revealing clothes, but also much more flexible clothes.

I was finally ready to ask — to ask for the mission to go get Hanabi back, a mission that nobody had dared taken on yet.

"You're ready for this, Hinata," Naruto told me, as we stopped outside the Hokage's room, putting his hands on my shoulders. "You'll be fine."

"Naruto," I whispered, looking up at him. "Promise you'll come with me?"

He smiled. "Whatever you want, Hinata-chan."

I took a deep breath, and opened the door to Tsunade-sama, who was expecting me. She smiled, and gestured for us to have a seat.

"What do you need, Hinata?" she asked me, although with the way her eyes darted to Naruto and back to me, she wanted to ask about our relationship.

I swallowed, pausing. "I…" I started, glancing at Naruto, who nodded at me, "I want to take the mission to rescue my sister."

"No," she said immediately, pursing her lips and shaking her head. "Not possible."

"Please, Tsunade-sama!" I yelled, slamming my hands down on her desk. She looked surprised at my brashness — Naruto had told me that if needed, I would have to be aggressive. "I have been training for the last three years for this mission! Don't you dare tell me I'm not ready!"

She looked at me, a skeptical look on her face, expecting me to back down — but Naruto had taught me not to, no matter how much I wanted to flinch and sit back in my seat. I didn't dare move, just stared right back at her, eyes blazing.

She smiled at me. "I like the new you, Hinata. I'll give you this mission — but even with the faith I have, I'm requiring Naruto to accompany you."

I nodded, sitting back down. "We were going to request that he come with me, anyway."

Tsunade nodded, before pulling out a scroll. "This is everything you need to know about this mission. Their defenses — as far as we know —, the location of where Hanabi is being held, and everything else." She paused, then looked at me. "This is a very dangerous mission, especially for you, Hinata. You know that if a Hyuuga willingly walks into their grasps, they won't hesitate to kill you and use your eyes."

I nodded. "I'm fully aware of the dangers this mission brings, Tsunade-sama," I told her. "But this…this is my sister. She's one of the only things I have left. I can't…I can't just leave her there to die."

She smiled sadly at me. "I know," she said, her voice breaking. "I felt the same way about my brother, too. And if I had the chance to save him, I would have done everything in my power to."

I knew it was a difficult thing for her to talk about her brother, something that Naruto had informed me of.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," I told her, very sincerely. "Thank you so much."

She nodded at me with eyes that had seen the world, that had seen the dangers this life could bring. I had understood — because I had, too.

"Thank you, too, Naruto-kun," I told him as soon as we had gotten back home, hugging him with all my might. "I could have never done any of this without you."

"It's no problem, Hina-chan." he said, a twinkle in his eye as he called me by my nickname. "We're friends, right?"

Sadness struck me for a moment, realizing that we would never be more than, no matter how desperately I wanted to be. "Yeah," I said, holding both of his hands. Even so, it still felt like a friendly gesture. "Best friends. Always and forever."

"Hey, Hinata?"

"Yeah?"

"You love me, right?"

I blushed heavily, looking down. "Of course," I replied. _More than you'll ever know_.

"That's good," he grinned, squeezing my hands. Then, he took me by surprise, leaned down, and kissed me.

I had been so surprised, so frozen in shock, that I just stood there, wide-eyed. I mean, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, looking back on it. But hey, what else could I do? This was the guy I was _in love_ with, kissing me after so long of wishing for the same action.

After what seemed like almost forever, he pulled away, and instantly panicked.

"Oh, crap, did I do something wrong?" he asked, dropping my hands and stepping back. "Fuck, I'm sorry—"

With full mental control gained back, I did the smart thing. I stepped forward to meet him, and kissed him myself. The kiss was firm, close, and full of all the emotions we hadn't conveyed in all those years. As my hands came up automatically to cup his neck, his slid to loop around my waist.

As we broke away, our noses touched, our hooded eyes looking into one another's.

"I love you, too," he breathed, grinning at me.

I still felt a little confused. "How long—"

"Have I wanted to do that?" he finished, grinning at me. "Since the Academy."

I smiled at him, hugging him tightly once more. "Me too, Naruto-kun."

* * *

><p>I had been able to feel the adrenaline rushing through me, powerful surges of lightening striking through my veins, pride giving me confidence I had never been able to have before. We had been traveling for about a week now, and were finally close to the Lightening border — which meant that Hanabi was around here.<p>

We knew that the lab she was being held in was not _actually_ within the Lightening borders — that would just be stupid, just asking for war. We trailed along silently from the treetops, the easiest way of traveling with a lowered chance of being seen. My Byakugan activated, we communicated in silent gestures, already familiar with the language of each other.

Finally, I had seen the building, marked by the tell-tale chakra block – that I couldn't see inside of it, even though I knew that my sister was most _definitely_ in there. The guards around were easy to maneuver around, to knock out or to get past.

After all, it had been three years since Hanabi had been taken captive. They weren't expecting anyone to try and come rescue her anymore.

Which was exactly why I made my move _then_.

I probably overdid it, I knew that. I had flashed by, quick as lightening, slitting their throats as Naruto got rid of the bodies for me, dragging them off into the river to float far, far away.

I didn't _have_ to kill the guards. I only had to knock them out, or even just temporarily paralyze them. But I wanted revenge for my sister — for the three years she's spent tortured, experimented on, maybe even blind.

I took charge of the mission, something I had never had the courage to do before. Naruto flanked me, watching my back for hidden foes, and it was one of the most serious times I had ever seen him. I had slashed at every person in my way, not knowing whether it was a fatal blow, and not caring either way.

Finally, I got to the holding cells, running past all the screeching prisoners who begged me to set them free, but I knew better — without help, they would all die from starvation, from weakness. And I wasn't feeling too merciful today.

"Hanabi!" I called down the halls, hearing my voice echo back at me. "Hanabi!"

I ran as fast as I could, hysterical in my search for her. The notion came to me that…what if they killed her? If they took her eyes and she couldn't focus anymore? That she let herself die? I had been frantic, scared out of my mind that my sister no longer existed.

"Hanabi-chan," I whispered, out of breath, coming upon a cell with a girl; obviously underfed, under nourished, but had the potential of a blooming young woman. She lifted her head to look at me, and I knew it was my sister — above the dark smudges were her bright, always-grey eyes, and I could see the hope suddenly burst within her mind.

"Onee-chan?" she rasped out, her throat obviously not used to speaking. "I — Is that you?"

"Yes," I said, my voice breaking as I slid down to my haunches to hold her hands through the bars as Naruto picked the lock. "It's me, imouto-chan. I'm here, it's alright now. I-I'm here to get you out, 'kay?"

She nodded, and I saw tears accumulate in her eyes — one of the few times I had ever seen this happen. She flew out of the cell to collapse in my arms as soon as the door was opened, and she began crying on my shoulder. I hugged her tightly, just as I would when she was a child, and whisper that _it would all be okay_, that _we were alright now_.

Naruto stared at us with a smile on his face, and I knew he was thinking of the idea of having a sibling of his own, of the joy we must feel to be reunited after so long.

We had disappeared back out to the wilderness, a steady distance away from Lightening to be able to camp for the night, her riding on back the whole way. All of us were sharing one tent (it was just what Naruto and I were used to, but he gave us privacy) and I had been brushing her hair, like we used to do when she was younger.

"Thank you, onee-chan," she whispered to me.

I had smiled at her, and hugged her the tightest I could.

"Sorry, I took so long," I had whispered to her, with a smile on my face, "but it's harder than you think becoming a great ninja."


	3. never grow up

**disclaimer:**** sorry, bros.  
><strong>**dedication:**** just writing streaks.****  
>notes1:<strong>** ahh, the last one. i can finally say i completed something.  
><strong>**notes2:**** also, if anybody gets the hidden pun in here, i'll love you forever. xD  
>-<strong>

chapter 3:  
><span>_**never grow up**_.

_Over the past couple years, everything had calmed down — everyone had settled down. It was the time for ninjas to marry and to have children, and naturally, we did just that._

_I married Naruto, with the approval of my father. I had beat him in an official duel, and was given free reign to marry whoever of my choice, and, consequentially, pass down the right of heir to whomever. _

_I gave it to Neji, to the shock and utter rage of the Elders, but deep down, everyone knew that he would make the best clan head. Hanabi was too much of a free-spirit to be able to handle something like that well, and I would never want to pin her down with such a hassle. _

_Neji married TenTen, a woman who I think he truly, truly loves. He would look at her like she is the world to him, a way I have never seen him look at anyone else. And she loves him, too – a very noticeable pair. _

_Naruto was, eventually, made the Hokage, passed down to him by Tsunade herself. And, I, his proud wife, even allowed to stand beside him at the Ceremony. My heart had swelled with happiness at his dream finally coming true — and mine, to be beside him. _

_Everyone else eventually paired off, some happier than others in their relationships. Shikamaru and Temari; Sakura and Sai; Ino and Chouji; Hanabi and Konohamaru._

_Hanabi's wedding was beautiful, and I was thrilled to be her maid-of-honor, even though she was very close with her friends. Ironically enough, Konohamaru had chosen Naruto as his best man, and I have always thought that it was really a secret plot of theirs. _

_I cried at her wedding. She looked so mature, so beautiful, so _happy_ at the altar, dressed in a pure white kimono, smiling at her new husband. I knew then that she was no longer the little sister I had to care of; longer the little girl I could read bedtime stories to; no longer the weak ninja that I needed to rescue. _

_The first children I had given birth to were two amazing little girls, both of whom had the byakugan — and, despite the Council's protests, I would not let them seal my younger child, as I was no longer a Hyuuga. _

_The eldest twin, Kushina, was named after Naruto's mother. She was the spitting image of him, with a fiery personality and her father's hair, long and blonde and beautiful, but with my pearly eyes. She was always loud and ready to play, and most of the time I let Naruto take her out — Kushina was completely a Daddy's girl._

_The younger twin, Hinaya, followed the traditional naming of women in my line of family. She looked more like I did, I suppose, with soft, long, black hair that trailed gently at her. She was delicate and calm, and I knew she would grow up to be a very skilled, very graceful ninja. She meditated with me often, and would invite me to the tea parties her sister didn't have the patience to attend._

_They were the center of my world, and everything I could hope for. My precious, precious little gems. _

"I'm going to read you a story," I said, settling them down into bed, both of them now an age of four, about to start the Academy the very next day. "Now, it's a very _special_ story, one that my mother told me, that I told Hanabi-oba, and now, I'm gonna tell _you_."

"It's not _too_ girly, right?" Kushina asked, scrunching up her nose. Her father had taught her well.

I chuckled. "No, actually. I think you'll _really_ like it. Ready?"

Kushina nodded excitedly, while Hinaya smiled at me, waiting.

So, I began, "Once upon a time, there was a magical forest. It was only in this forest where magical creatures, like dragons and fairies could live and grow. But one day, one of the dragons realized that they could leave the forest, for just a little bit, and still be able to live. However, once they did they couldn't leave again for another ten years, or else they would instantly die.

"With this knowledge, he flew over to a nearby kingdom, and stole their prized princess. She was pretty, with flowing black hair and flawless, porcelain skin, but she was still only a girl of eight. So he told the princess, 'You are very beautiful, did you know that?'

"'Yes,' she told him, 'there are many men who wish to have my hand in marriage.' The dragon decided that he would keep her here, hidden in the forest and be her guard, so that only someone who truly cared for her would come rescue her. She agreed, as she had always secretly hoped for a strong, brave love to whisk her away.

"But little did he know, that she had a _sister_, who loved her very dearly. However, this princess was older that her, and was already engaged to someone whom she did not love. In truth, she really loved the servant boy, who always gave her the kindest smiles and sweetest compliments. But she knew that even if she _wasn't_ engaged, she would never be able to marry him because of his heritage.

"When the king found out about the younger princess' kidnapping, he declared that he would grant any wish to those who rescued his daughter, whatever the request may be.

"When the older princess heard of this, she thought of the perfect plan. Her and the servant could train, and learn to be strong knights, with her dressing as a boy by his side. She ran to Takeshi, the servant, and told him of her plan. He agreed, as he had always been in love with the princess, as well.

"Years passed, and only a few men had come to rescue her, but were always struck easily down by the dragon. If they weren't killed, they ran away at the sight of the dragon. By now, she had grown into a strong, beautiful young woman that had matured very nicely. She broke down to the dragon, who had become her friend. 'What ever will I do, dragon?' she sobbed, hugging his scaly muzzle. 'I fear I will die here, in this forest…'

"'Don't worry,' the dragon reassured her. 'Once you become eighteen, I will fly you back into your kingdom.' Little did she know, he had only waited so long because otherwise he would die the moment he exited the forest. Nonetheless, she agreed, because her birthday was in only one more year.

"The year went by quickly, until it was finally the day before her eighteenth birthday. She was sitting with her feet in the creek she had grown up by, when she heard the sound of approaching soldiers. Immediately, she fled to the cave that served as her home, and warned the dragon.

"When the two knights finally came to the cave, one asked, 'Are you the dragon who guards the princess?'

"'Yes,' the dragon responded, 'and if you wish to rescue her, you must kill me.' The knights nodded, pulled out their swords and began to fight the dragon. As they fought, the princess realized that they were both wearing the armor of the High Knight, the best soldier in the kingdom.

"_Impossible!_ she thought. _There can't be _two_ High Knights_!

"Just as the knights were about to kill the dragon, she ran out, and asked them to let her have her last words with the dragon. The two knights nodded, stepped aside, and let them have their privacy.

"'Oh, dragon, I don't know how I can thank you enough,' she told him.

"He said, 'Just live your life with the one you love, as I intended for you to do.' With that, he took his final breath, and closed his eyes.

"'Please tell me the name of the men who have saved me,' the princess requested to the knights, curtseying.

"And so the first knight pulled off his helmet to reveal a good-looking young man, but not quite in her tastes. He bowed to her, very politely, but made sure not to touch her.

"'My name is Takeshi,' he told her. 'My brother and I were servants for you and your sister.' The princess gasped, remembering him. 'However, please do not thank me, as my partner here did all the work.'

"'Then, please,' the princess said, curtseying to the other, masked knight, 'tell me who you are so I may thank you.'

"'No thanks are in order,' the other knight said, pulling of the helmet to let loose long, silky black hair very similar to the princess'. She smiled at the younger girl. 'I'm sorry I took so long, but it's harder than you think rising up to the High Knight.'

"She gasped — this was her own sister! Her older sister had saved her, even in a kingdom where women did not fight, especially not the royalty.

"'Thank you, dear sister,' she cried, hugging the other princess very tightly. However, the girl was very disappointed. She had hoped for very long for someone who she could love to come and save her, to give her the romance she had always craved.

"'And we had a helper along the way,' her sister said, bemusedly, gesturing to the man carrying many supplies for the two, and even in a squire's garb, he was very handsome. She saw that it was, indeed, Takeshi's younger brother, Daisuke.

"She was flattered by the idea that, even though he couldn't save her, he tried his best to help her, no matter what it was. She had fallen in love with Daisuke, not only for his determination, but that he would let himself look like a pack-mule, all for her sake.

"She was flattered by the idea that, even though he couldn't save her, he tried his best to help her, no matter what it was. She had fallen in love with Daisuke, not only for his determination, but that he would let himself look like a pack-mule, all for her sake.

"When they returned to the kingdom, the king asked if he could see who had saved his daughter before he granted their wishes — one wish for both of them. He was very surprised when he saw his daughter underneath knight armor, and, nonetheless, her old servant under the other set.

"'I wish to marry Takeshi,' the eldest princess demanded. 'He is the one I truly love — not some prince that you have arranged for me.'

"'Very well,' the king said, begrudgingly. He had no choice but to grant her wish, lest he be seen as a lying king. He turned to Takeshi. 'What is your wish, my boy?'

"'I wish to allow my brother and the princess to marry,' he said. 'They have already told us they wish to marry as well, and she is of proper age.'

"'Very well,' the king said, begrudgingly. He was bitter that he would have no pure bloodlines anymore, but supposed that if these men made his daughters happy, then they were fine men.

"The two princesses married the men of their dreams, and had many beautiful, wonderful, adoring children, and lived happily every after. The end."

"O-_kay_," Kushina grumbled, a smile attempting to peek itself out from her forced frown, "I guess that story _was_ pretty good."

I smiled, and turned to my other daughter. "Did you like it, Hinaya?"

She smiled and nodded at me. "I loved it, okaa-chan. Would you tell it again tomorrow?"

"Sure," I told her, kissing her forehead. "I'll even include the fight scene for Kushina."

She whooped, excited for tomorrow night at the promise of a detailed fight. She really _was_ her father's daughter. She grinned at me as I kissed her head, too.

"You're starting the Academy tomorrow," I told them, remembering why I had decided to finally tell this story, "and that means that you're gonna be adults _really, really_ soon."

"We know, kaa-chan," Kushina said. "Tou-chan talked to us about this. Be safe, don't get in over our heads…"

"What I'm trying to say," I blurted, smoothing down both of their hair, "is that…well…whenever you think you can't do something, that you're not strong enough…. Think of that princess. Think of the years she spent training, so that she could save someone she cared about. Always know that you _can_ get stronger, you _can_ persevere, and you wanna know why?"

"Why?" Hinaya asked softly.

I motioned for them to come closer, and whispered in their ear, "Because kunoichi are always the strongest."

They giggled, and nodded at me.

"Now go to sleep," I told them, kissing the top of their heads once, before turning off the lights and closing the door behind them. "Goodnight; I love you."

I walked into my bedroom, Naruto already half-asleep in our bed, before snuggling in beside him and curling up at his side. I relished in his warm body against mine, the same that had helped me create our brilliant little girls.

"I love you," I murmured sleepily to him, kissing his neck before I tucked my head under his chin.

"Love you, too," he mumbled, wrapping a comforting hand around my waist.

I couldn't be any happier than I was in that moment.


End file.
